Celariel Dawnfury
The Musician's Muse She had been afforded a lovely childhood as the middle sibling to a middle class family. Music was their oxygen, and the entire clan possessed near prodigal levels of talent when concerning the arts. Her father, a musician and inventor had improved upon the tara'ambriel (lute), creating a model that produced a more full and vibrant sound for the nobles and their grand galas. This afforded the family not only a comfortable life but a slight, albeit humble, connection with the royal family. She was a whisper on the breeze, a petal set adrift in the tides of the ever changing direction of the wind. Where her heart led she followed, seeking out beauty in everything that surrounded her. When she was at home and not marauding on some adventure she spent her long days musing over lyrics and poetry, or amusing nobles with her talents at balls, dinner parties, or even afternoon tea with the ladies. It was a fine living and one she adored with every inch of her heart. Upon the Precipice She looked up to him from her place upon a wall of unforgiving stone. She knew where he would go when he needed to be alone...where the view of the sun's descent below the horizon must have seemed as if he were God conducting the heavens himself. For days she'd rarely slept nor ate for her grief, but mostly it was for her worry over him. He had yet to speak to her, and now after two weeks without word of his condition she could take it no longer. From the ground it seemed such a short way up, but from her place now and with her weakening muscles the hope of retrieval quickly became the danger of reality. He must've heard her climbing. What a sight she must be from his vantage atop the wall...from his place somewhere within the thick fog of grief and despair. One by one tiny fingers began to fail her, and tears began to fill a darkening gaze. "Elgoain...I'm slipping." The words were near a whisper as fear proved an ample thief of her voice. The sun began to dip at the horizon and slowly the rays disappeared..yet always this had been Elgoain's favorite moment of the day. Strange how beautiful it all seemed at the end, he pondered during the twilight which slowly dimmed. Deep breaths he learned calmed him both physically and mentally, a tool he used when at times the difficulties grew what seemed to much to bear. They'd halt his shaking legs from springing upward to his feet and off into the sky from the high rocky terrain. He'd identified the struggling sounds of her. Of course it was her, it always was. Arms remained crossed over his bare knees, their appearance bruised and bloodied for he'd been careless in his climb. Eyes shut tight, as another memory began of the family taken from him, the image shattering like glass being replaced by the sight of their lifeless bodies. Each one of his fingers curled into his palm into a powerful fist..that rage taking over yet again. This rage resulted in the scraped and battered knuckles of both those fists, they only would remind him of his violent venting of the frustration he felt and the cycle inevitably continued. ..her voice is what broke his furious concentration. Immediately, the fear of loss was sent through him like a shockwave and he crawled swiftly to the edge. He lowered his seemingly broken right hand to her, in haste. But even this didn't settle that fear of losing her as well, and with no hesitation he strongly gripped her wrist. Using one arm, and the leverage of his legs he pulled her up with an iron like grip. The force of his rough motion sent him falling backwards till he settled on his backside firmly with Celariel following in the same fashion. The beauty that each ray of fading sunlight cast within the shimmering honeyed highlights of cascading silken ringlets was lost in this moment. It mattered little that the lighting provided by a myriad of vibrant purples and blues seemed to compliment porcelain features and enhance an already effortless beauty. The circumstances now left all of that by the wayside. She was embarrassed. Of her purest intentions to be at his side to help him through this time of darkness she had only bore more stress and frustration. There would be time to apologize for that later, for now there lingered a very real threat that at any moment her slight form may be sent tumbling to the canyon floor. For all of the fear welling within a crystalline gaze there was a sense of calm that swept over her as he took hold of her wrist with his strong, though battered, hand. As soon as he'd begun to pull her up her other hand reached to grasp his wrist. It was a striking resemblance to how their relationship had been all along. Ever since they were children he had always been there to catch her when she'd falter. His large hands grasped her significantly smaller versions now as he lifted her to safety. Even in his time of need he was the hero...not she as she had intended. She couldn't bear to look at him now, though with a gaze much like the ones she'd given their parents when she knew she was to be reprimanded she finally allowed herself to take the first glance of him she'd been permitted in nearly two weeks. Every sadness he felt was hers to share, for she loved his parents as her own. She needed him as much as he needed her now...and here she was before him. Sitting back up to his knees, he didn't look at her. Instead he just kept looking to the horizon, it was as if he was searching for some kind of future now. Finally, he spoke to her. " The hell were you thinking? You could have died, Celadriel. " Now this may have not been the response that she was searching for, but then again, she also knew Elgoain and more often then not this was true in all things. Still his eyes didn't rest on her. He was trying to be stern with her, and if he brought his eyes to rest on her he was afraid his facade of strength would falter. He drew his bottom lip inward and bit down roughly. He began to move only his eyes to look all about them, like he saw things that weren't there or like he saw nothing at all. Swallowing hard, lids shut briefly, and then tilting his head slightly he caught sight of her. But only for a moment..till they fell to the ground that separated them. She allowed him his rightful lashing upon her, eyes downcasting but once before promptly rising again to rest upon him. In a way...though it was not her intention...she had shown him he was indeed capable of being someone's savior. She knew because he could not save his parents he doubted his own worth in that way. By now the gaze that was usually filled with the light of a thousand suns was flooded with tears. Delicate hands lifted to either side of his face to force his gaze upon her. "I needed to see you..." She would conjure forth no apology for seeking him out. She didn't need to. He knew her better than anyone else ever would, so much so that he already knew the answer to his own question anyway. "Elli...I loved them too. Do not leave me on my own now when I need you more than ever." Words were faint through heart wrenching sobs, and in the subsequent moments both arms wrapped greedily around his neck as she sought the comfort of his embrace. She had never been intimidated by his status as Prince of the Ancients. To Celariel he would always be her Elli. Both his eyes closed and he simply felt her presence near him. When she lifted his face he reopened them. The beautiful rays, the sunlight he'd been intent on observing were now replaced with something else. He looked at her deeply..he didn't know or understand how she could feel this strongly for him, and in some ways it was hard for him to believe. Though, what he couldn't deny is that he felt just as strongly as she displayed. And if it was true inside of him, it was more than a possibility that it was true inside of her. Even though he'd never admit how much he really needed her, he could see that she needed him..so he'd keep his mask of strength, or attempt to for now and convince himself that all of this was for her..even if he knew that this was far from the truth. He lifted strong arms and enveloped her tightly. His face nuzzled against the side of her neck and he breathed in her sent. And in a rare moment of fragility he whispered to her. " I am glad you found me." It was as if the crystal sphere of his emotions had been shattered and scattered into a million pieces. Though he always proved himself as her white knight, she was strong and wise beyond the innocence of her years. She would help him retrieve every last piece of shattered soul, and carefully put him back together again. Why? Because that's what true love is...and she truly loved him even if she may not have known the extent of her love just yet. Their fates were destined to collide, and as he spoke again confirming her instincts to seek him out were appreciated, she allowed a soft smile as she wiped away at an endless stream of tears. "I will always find you." It was quite possibly the most purely sincere statement she'd ever made. She could feel his breath against her skin, each sinewy muscle of his shoulders beneath the weight of her embrace. He had always felt like home, and now it was time for her to return the favor. As she pulled away slowly she took his large hands within her own, smoothing delicate fingers gently over the broken skin and bloodied knuckles before lifting her gaze to him. "Let me help you...let me be the one who saves you from yourself for once." They parted, and for the first time he truly noticed how many tears she was crying. The touch of her fingertips along his seemingly war-torn hands was like magic, the effect soothing his entire being, forcing those eyes to close briefly once more. His heart felt like it was going to fail him with how strong the exertion of each beat pumped. So many emotions were bottled and contained within the body of this man. He answered her, ironically as the pads of his thumbs brushed away the tears from her cheeks. " Ok..but just this once." Finally, the slightest smile, as he brought his hands to cradle her face now and briefly he paused. Something felt like it was supposed to happen in that moment..but instead, he let his hands slowly slide from the sides of her countenance. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against her's as he breathed fully. Her bottom lip trembled and dark lashes fluttered to kiss the apples of damp cheeks before closing a few moments as again she broke into a fit of tears through her smile. Again she felt his sweet breath upon her skin and again she was home. Even now in his moment of need it was he whose words broke the tension of the moment, not hers. She had come there with the intention of making him feel better and it was he doing all of the heavy emotional lifting. Somehow, though, perhaps that was the way it was supposed to be. Perhaps it was in making her smile that he found some solace. "Please do not take such poor care of those hands of yours. I will no doubt be needing those to save me again in the near future." Her eyes opened to look upon him, and as they did so many times when they were children she positioned herself so that he looked like a cyclopse with their foreheads pressed together. He continued to simply stay in that position, and this moment would prove to be something in years to come he'd still remember. He let his hands to fall to the sides of her waist when she mentioned them, as if to say they'd always be there to save her. A smirk couldn't be concealed as she shifted her forehead as she used to. He rubbed his forehead affectionately against her for just the slightest moment and then rolled to his back. He sprawled out there on the ledge and stared upward towards the heavens. The stars began to reveal themselves one by one, and he wondered if it was there that man could find the answer to the mysteries of this life. Maybe that's now where his parents rested, somewhere high in the heavens. And somehow, with her around, he discovered that the grief disappeared in it's own way..this is how he slowly began to discover the true extent of what he felt for her. She watched him for lingering moments to come before turning her own gaze heavenward. Her smile faded quickly as she searched herself for the words of encouragement he needed to give him hope for the future. The truth was, she was so blinded by her grief and anger over what had happened she could find no poetry in it. There is no honor, no silver lining when good people are taken from us. Then she had a thought....what if he had been taken too? She looked down to him, to his strong arms that had always held her and sought nothing in return but her friendship...to his mouth from which his words had caused her both laughter and tears over the years. Suddenly she had to remind herself to breathe. She lowered herself down to where he lay, head in his lap with a distant gaze dancing over the stars above them. From this height it was almost as if she could reach out and touch them. The silence provided a soundtrack to their evening, with the stars' lament upon the mountain to provide their lighting. Silken tresses cascaded over his torso, one errant strand twirled betwixt genteel digits absently. The usual sparkle within her crystalline gaze was dulled but hardly absent tonight, though it was not the loveliest of her features. By far her effervescent smile was where her true beauty lied, and rarely could she look upon his handsome face without offering it forth. "Have you ever felt this before?" She was referring to the emptiness and loss...at least that's what she thought she was referring to. Though in the failing light it was very difficult to notice, indeed those eyes now shifted between the sky and her. He questioned if it was just now, or always that he'd been aware of how truly beautiful his closest friend looked. It didn't seem to matter though, and as she knelt to be with him he drank in her appearance as the she seemed to glow right with the stars. They now both seemed to hold a mystery that Valen was unaware of. He swallowed a bit as she rested her head on his lap. While attempting to conceal his intention he leaned his head upward to observe her further briefly. Her words startled him momentarily, and he swiftly resumed his lazy position. What was happening? He felt a stray droplet of sweat roll to the side of his forehead. Why was he feeling so nervous and excited? He forced himself to break this train of thought as he remembered she waited for his answer. " ..no. " He said, seemingly through parched breath, before attempting to clear his throat, after which he responded more clearly. " I don't think so.. " Did she feel the same way he had? For at this moment, she was all he felt. A delicate hand gripped his chest tightly, nails clawing at him a bit as she did so. She couldn't help the overwhelming sense of dread that flooded her now that she realized she could have lost him. As her grip loosened she sat up, looking down to him as if from some celestial painting with the backdrop of the heavens behind her. "Promise me you won't leave me." She watched him a moment, growing slightly hysterical with each second past that he said nothing. "Promise me, Elli....promise me!" Again the tears fell like waterfalls from pools of raw emotion. As long as they had each other they'd be ok. That's the thing about fate, it rarely fell submissive to the whims of any one individual. As long as they stuck together they could discard their false notions of what the future had in store for them and instead carve out a new future together, filled with infinite possibilities and ultimate wonder. The tight grip against his chest surprised him. In his mind he thought he'd said the wrong thing, maybe he should have felt this years before. He brought his focus once more to her as she looked down on him. It was in her words and the tears that dropped that he realized how much they did need each other. He flashed a smile to her, large enough so that through the growing darkness she could identify the gesture. The fingertips of one of his hands grazed along one of her arms as he spoke in a tone that even seemed foreign to him. "I promise, Cela. I do." He once more brushed those falling tears away, as if to see her beauty more fully. That happiness that she possessed which seemed corrupted, just as his own heart seemed having endured the pain of loss. She listened to every word, every consonant he uttered as he promised never to leave her. The smile that followed was reminiscent of her usual self. The reflection of his gaze in her eyes was her own silent promise in return. No...something more. Eyes searched their desolate surroundings a moment....finding little more than rocks scattered about. She stood, searching the ground until finding a peculiar stone that so happened to be nearly flat and smooth. "Here..." She picked it up, returning to where he sat before tugging at his shoulders to urge him to stand. "Swear upon this stone..." She smiled down to him as she waited for him to join her. "Swear that no matter what happens we will always be here for one another...and..." She thought a moment, smiling inwardly at how silly she must seem to him. "...and that we will always find one another." He felt the absence of her suddenly and instinctively he sat up on his arm to find her. Those lids lowered in an attempt to adjust to the growing dark more fully and discern what she'd been up to. As she stood over him he listened to her, and sighed a bit but quietly. Indeed he thought this notion, albeit a touch that only could be her, something that definitely was not in the style of Elgoain. He allowed her to rouse him to his feet, and he stood completely, now looking down at her. He lifted his hand and put it over her own, along with the smooth stone she'd acquired. To please her he spoke just two words. "I promise, Celariel Highsworn." And with two fingers he tapped downward on the stone's edge, to indicate the severity…even if somewhat laughable, of his words. He let his fingertips stray and run along her palm now, just brushing lightly against the surface of her skin. She had succeeded, and he was feeling better than he had in those two weeks of their absence from each other. As he stood to his full height her gaze rose with him until her gaze rested within his own from below. Silly as it was, it was every bit Celariel. They completed each other in countless ways, and this was merely one example of how her silliness countered his seriousness. She could sense that he was feeling better, if only for a little while. She stood before him, a portrait of loveliness and a woman who would not be who she was without him in her life. A gentle breeze swept unruly ringlets behind her, exposing slender collar bones through the flowing white gown with little structure other than a clasp over one shoulder. She radiated her own light of sugar and spice sprinkled innocence, often sweet and mischievous in the same breath. As his fingers caressed her hand she looked down to watch them before glancing back up to him with a look as if she was in the midst of solving some great mystery. It was beginning to dawn on her that the man who had always been there to catch her fall was the only man she'd ever want to do so. Silence settled in around them. He felt as if something perhaps was meant to happen once more. He simply continued to look down at that stone as he traced imaginary outlines with his fingertips. From the slight exposure of her skin with the wavering motion of those blonde strands his eye level shifted exactly to that spot. The silence continued, once more that nervous excitement began to surge through him. Unsure of how to react to this..he said the first thing that came to his mind without giving in, halted by an unknown fear. "..we better climb down before it gets too dark. " He said breaking the silence, and even more importantly the moment..for the time being, but what was he to do, if they didn't start down now he feared she would be injured and that was of the greatest concern to him now. With that he moved passed her and began the moderate way to the ground beneath first so that he could aid her in their decension. She blinked several times, smiling softly as cheeks flushed with color. Gods...how on earth was she going to get down? A deep breath was drawn through parted tiers as she nodded once to him. She followed him to the edge, lifting her chin just a bit as if to fool herself into a false sense of bravery. "You might think of finding a less dangerous spot to hide from me in next time, hmm?" A flash of a bright smile was offered down to him before fingers grasped the hem of her gown and tied it into a makeshift knot. It was Ranquist ingenuity at its finest, though it did leave much of her thighs and some of her hip exposed to him below. She hadn't thought twice about it...in fact if she knew Valen he would be far more concerned with getting them down safely than catching a glimpse of her bare skin. She crept over the edge, delicate hands roughened by her desperate grasp of the rocks. She lowered herself slowly, finding the descent much easier than it's counterpart. From about three feet up or so she turned to look down at him, and with a sparkle of mischief in her eyes she jumped down to safety beside him. He allowed a sort of grunt to be exhaled in place of a laugh as she criticized his choice of solitude..though she'd been right. He began to lead them down, making sure she followed him directly behind in his movements. As they neared the bottom was when he suddenly took notice of her bare flesh directly in his line of sight of her. He damned himself for those thoughts earlier, as now his focus wavered momentarily. He now realized that his views of her would be changed forever, in such a simple thing as the view of her bare hips and thighs..there was no denying it any longer. 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